When We Were Young
by Falcon226
Summary: At three years old, Karolina still does not know why her parents take her to these parties at the Wilders' house every year. Who are these four other strange children? A/N: No Molly, she's not even conceived yet.
1. Home

I'm three years old. My parents are at an audition or something. It's two o'clock in the afternoon and I am home alone.

I guess I was not tall enough to reach the door very well back then. So I was stuck there. Alone. Well, we had a cat, but she only was curling up beside me because I was warm. I was too young to realize that even though I kept trying to pet the cat, she did not want me to. She scratched me after a couple of minutes of my petting, and so I got the picture. I would try again tomorrow, anyways.

There's this weird metal bracelet on my left wrist. Mommy put it there once. I don't remember when. She said to never ever take it off. I am the perfect little child, so I don't.

I am perfect. I am blonde with bright blue eyes. I am skinny, but not scrawny. My smile dazzles everyone. And I'm a celebrity child. My behavior is near to perfect; I am adorable and intelligent. Maybe I am a little spoiled, but I am still the perfect child. Why did Daddy let Mommy lock me in my room?

I am terribly bored by this point. It's like 5 o'clock. I'm lying on my bed, almost asleep. The cat is peacefully curled in the crook of my arm, but her whiskers keep tickling me. This is probably why I am not asleep yet.

I hear the doorknob click and then turn. Frustrated with my former state of boredom, I barely stir. And I am tired.

"But look, hun, she's sleeping."

"That's no excuse. We must take her. You know why."

Daddy whispers, then Mommy speaks at a normal volume. Of course I would recognize their voices anywhere.

Daddy scoops me off the bed, ever so smoothly. I don't even fidget much. My eyes open sleepily and I smile.

"Nornin', Daddy."

My strange way of pronouncing "morning" makes daddy laugh lightly. Mommy looks like she was force to eat five lemons. The audition must not have gone well. Daddy shoots her a look and carries me downstairs.

"Daddy, where're we going?" I ask somewhat sleepily.

"To our friends' house," says Daddy sweetly. "You remember the Wilders from last year, don't you Karolina?"

I shake my head no. How am I supposed to keep track of all of the parties that I get taken to? "Nuh-uh."

I hear Mommy grumble from behind us. "I knew she wouldn't."

Daddy shushes her, but I don't remember much after that for a while. I think I fell asleep in the car.


	2. The Stupids

A/N: Thank you to Stormgirl415 for pointing out that I managed to upload the first chapter again by accident. Oops.

Also, my spelling and grammar are intentionally very simple. If anybody seems to be out of character for what they would be at three... or two... or four, do tell me. I don't spend nearly enough time with small children besides my three year old cousin.

--

It was darkish outside when Mommy woke me up. She took me by the hand and had me follow er to this mega-huge front door. My house is pretty large, but even though this one was smaller, its' door was ginormous.

Daddy straightened his tie and rang the doorbell. I was just about to ask where the people were, when the door swung open.

There was a herd of adults, with children about my size nosing around between their legs. It was pretty much chaos. A blond boy who looked a little older was pummeling a chubby little black-haired girl to the ground. A black kid with glasses was tugging on his mommy's pant leg, begging to be allowed to go back to his room and read.

I was feeling totally awkward, since Mommy and Daddy had long ago abandoned me for some adults that looked a little younger than the rest. None of the kids looked like they belonged to these parents. But my parents had abandoned me for them! Frustrated, I was trying very hard not to cry. Then I got that weird feeling that someone was watching me. That someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"Eek!" I cried out. I spun around and said, "What was that for?"

An asian girl with glasses said simply, "You looked lost."

I frowned. "Oh. Well… well I wasn't."

"I'm Nico," said the girl after an awkward silence.

I quirked up an eyebrow. "Isn't that a boys' name?"

"No, it's Java- Jafa- uh, Japanese!"

"Oh," I said, trying not to sound like I had no idea what she was talking about. "I'm Karolina!"

"Like the state?"

"What's a state?"

"I dunno. But I know there's one called that."

I was at a loss for words. Maybe Nico was good at making me awkward like that. I was just about to say something really stupid, when Mrs. Wilder decided to herd all of us kids into the game room. I thanked her enthusiastically in my head for saving me. The blonde boy tried to protest, but his dad gave him a nasty look. That sent him scurrying.

Everyone just sort of sat in a circle and stared around expectantly.

"Um, so who are you guys, anyways?" I asked.

"You don't know anybody?" blond boy asked, almost laughing.

"No," I replied, blushing.

"Well, I dunno who any of you are," said kid Wilder.

Nico looked at him like he had just eaten a whole tube of paste (something I have done). "It's your house."

"Feel icky," said the chubby girl, looking very uncomfortable.

"Gert, please don't be sick!" Nico said, looking worried.

"Oh, so everyone does know everyone else 'cept me!?" I yelled, upset that Nico knew everyone.

"I dunno anyone!" Wilder echoed angrily.

"Then interduce yourselves, stupids!" blond boy said, obviously aggravated.

"Well you didn't 'traduce yourself either, stupid!" Nico said, looking satisfied with herself. She stood up and placed her hands on her hips, like she was the queen of the circle of toddlers. With a matter-of-fact smile, she said, "I'm Nico."

"Karolina."

"Like the state?" queried Wilder.

"I guess so."

"Oh. Alex."

"Chase."

"Gertrude."

"That's a terrible name," I said. I felt immediately sorry for what I just said. "I feel sorry for you."

"Whateva," said Gert. "I deal."


	3. Twistering

"Um, so, uh, now what?" I asked uncertainly, using my natural eloquence to its full potential.

"Let's play Monopoly!" shouted Alex enthusiastically.

Everyone got seriously upset at this point. Seriously, Alex was probably the only one of us who could actually read more than their first name. I still spelled my name "Caralina" until I was four and a half.

"No!" Gert yelled finally, managing to distinguish herself from the rest of the jabbering toddlers. "Les' play Twister!"

Everyone, including Alex, thought this a terrific idea. All at once, we all attempted to get the game mat out from the Wilders' game shelves. Our success was hampered as Stratego, Chutes and Ladders, and Chinese checkers (with all of those little marbles) all flung themselves off the shelves along with Twister. So then we all had to help clean up, or Mrs. Wilder was going to go, as Alex phrased, "all Hulk on your molasses". I was pretty certain that Daddy had used a saying similar to that one once when he was angry, and it had not sounded nearly as fun then. But I really did not want to upset Alex. He was our host, after all.

So then we were Twistering. Alex was absolutely terrible at the game. Chase kept shoving Gert off of the mat, and Gert had not even been very coordinated in the first place. I suppose by default, Nico won. Everyone was suddenly crestfallen since she got to replace me as the spinner.

"It's not fair!"

"I wanted to spin!"

"Nico cheated!"

It's funny. Nobody wanted to spin at first. They probably only wanted to spin because it was a prize or something. Oh come on, like you didn't spend at least twenty dollars of your parents' money at Chuck E. Cheese's just to get a spider ring and a demented-looking stuffed animal. I am totally willing to admit that I have done that once. Or twice. Okay, I lost count. But little kids are seriously competitive, am I right?


End file.
